


I Don't Need a Hero

by aeriiin



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Sparring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-18
Updated: 2018-05-18
Packaged: 2019-05-08 17:11:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14698671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aeriiin/pseuds/aeriiin
Summary: The punching bag gave a mighty thud as Hana’s fist collided with it, swaying with a creaking whine that echoed throughout the empty gym and melded with her grunts and pants of exertion.Yeol. Another full set, and she still couldn’t shake the frustration that pulled her out of bed at who-knows-what o’ clock in the first place.Brigitte had saved her today. Again.





	I Don't Need a Hero

 

The punching bag gave a mighty  _thud_ as Hana’s fist collided with it, swaying with a creaking whine that echoed throughout the empty gym and melded with her grunts and pants of exertion.

 

_Yeol._ Another full set, and she still couldn’t shake the frustration that pulled her out of bed at who-knows-what o’ clock in the first place.

 

Brigitte had saved her today.  _Again._

 

It had been little over two, three months since she first worked up the courage to ask Brigitte out properly, and things had been going fine for the most part. Their schedules made it hard for dates, so they took what they could, which usually meant just doing what they did before but with more hand-holding and quick kisses that still made both of them giddy.

 

But that was only when they were back on base. In the field was another story.

 

Hana noticed about a week or so back, when she had to make a quick retreat and she saw Brigitte’s shield break covering for her. The mechanic took a few extra hits more than she needed to, but nothing major. Hana figured it was a one-time thing, maybe Brigitte in the moment forgetting just how much punishment her shield could take, and learning what her limit was right afterwards. 

 

But then it happened again another time. And another time after that. And today, it happened  _again._ Too many times to be a simple mistake, and it was a habit that increased exponentially whenever Hana herself was around. Brigitte would walk away from battle far more injured than she should be, having taken one too many hits just for Hana’s sake with little regard for her  _own_ safety.

 

Hana hated how angry she was, in truth. It wasn’t like her to get so worked up over something like this.

 

…Okay, maybe it  _was_ , but that didn’t change anything. Not really, at least.

 

Hana gave a grunt, and took up a ready stance once more. She could practically hear Hanzo’s voice in her head as she shifted backwards from the punching bag about ten feet or so. 

 

_Bend your knees, feet apart. Hajime!_

 

“Hana?”

 

The pilot stumbled forward on her first step, and stalled in place when she saw a familiar figure at the door.

 

“Oh,” Hana stood up and turned her head towards her girlfriend. “Hey, Brie.” 

 

“Hi.” Brigitte’s hair was an absolute mess on one side, and she was still rubbing a bit of sleep from her eyes. With a tired grin, she moved from her place in the door frame towards Hana and leaned against the back wall lazily. “What’re you doing here?”

 

She patted the training bag with a grin she hoped was not as angry as it felt. “Hanzo wanted me to practice a few katas before we met again for training tomorrow. Didn’t have time before the mission this morning to do them, so I figured I’d squeeze them in before bed.”

 

Brigitte raised a curious eyebrow at her and crossed her arms across her chest. “At,” she checked the digital clock across the room, “Two in the morning?“

 

“…I’m a night owl?” She tried.

 

“You are, yeah.” Brigitte nodded, but frowned suddenly. “Are you okay? You’ve been kind of, uh… grumpy as of late. Is something wrong?”

 

Hana cast her gaze to the padded floors, silently tugged at the hem of her shirt out of habit. It was no use lying to her; Brigitte knew her about as well as Lúcio, and she wasn’t a great liar to begin with. McCree and the others had told her as much.

 

And yet, no matter how she tried, the words just didn’t seem to want to come out.

 

She heard Brigitte shift from the wall, and looked up to see her girlfriend put up her fists with a wild grin. “Alright, let’s go then!”

 

“…What?”

 

“Punching’s not helping, right? Why not go against a real person for a change?”

 

Hana shook her head with a huff, “Look, Brie, you don’t really need to–”

 

“Come on, you know me: Reinhardt and I do this sort of thing all the time!” Brigitte hunched down into a stance similar to one she took on in battle, minus the shield and mace. “I can take a beating!”

 

She felt that nugget of anger come to a simmering peak once again at that, and Hana crouched back into a fighting position, reading herself on the balls of her feet. “Alright. No holding back, got it?”

 

“I’ll do my best.”

 

They gave one final nod to each other, and began without so much as a countdown, shuffling in a steady circle as they waited for the other to make a move. When one stepped forward, the other stepped back. Quiet, but quick shuffling footwork filled the room, and Hana felt herself flinch with every movement.

 

She couldn’t remember who moved first. It might have been her, it might have been Brigitte. All she recalled after was quick jabs, grabs, kicks, punches, anything really. It was sloppy combat, all strength with uneasy technique, and Hana knew they’d be bruised at the end of this.

 

When Brigitte threw a clumsy left jab, Hana saw her opportunity and took a hold of her arm.  _Move to the side, come over the back shoulder,_ Hanzo’s voice instructed,  _use their weight against them. Don’t second-guess your movements._

 

She hooked her foot in front of the other, and with a hearty grunt, she hurled Brigitte onto the ground over her hip. The mechanic hit the floor, and Hana scrambled on top of her to pin her arms before she could get up. Brigitte wheezed once, then stopped and sank against the ground.

 

“Whew. Okay,” She laughed breathlessly, mirthlessly. She stared up at Hana with a cracked smile. “Okay, that… had something behind it.”

 

“You think?” The bitter words left her mouth faster than she could stop them, and she winced at the sound of them. Still, she didn’t let go of the wrists in her grasp. 

 

“What’s gotten into you, Hana?” Brigitte shifted underneath her nervously. “Please, I want to know. I want to  _help.”_

 

“Yeah, well, I don’t  _need_ your help!” She snapped. “I don’t need you to always help me, or be my hero, or whatever!”

 

Brigitte flinched, and her face dropped. “Wha– Hana, what are you talking about?”

 

“You, Brie. I’m talking about you.” Hana knew there was no stopping the words flying from her lips at this point. “You keep risking your ass to save mine, and you keep getting hurt because of you’re too busy protecting me!”  

 

“That’s what this is about? Me getting hurt?” The mechanic frowned further. “I’m a shield, Hana! We’re soldiers. It’s what I’m supposed to do!”

 

“No, it’s what  _I’m_ supposed to do! I have the shield matrix, the giant fucking metal mech, a-and all you have is a tiny shield and some armor!” Hana shuddered as a wave of angry hot tears began to fall. “How can you protect  _anyone_  if you keep leaving yourself open like that all the time?!”

 

The pilot let go of Brigitte’s wrists and instead moved to bunch up her fists into the fabric of her girlfriend’s t-shirt. Out of the corner of her eye, Hana could see the deep bruise on Brigitte’s collarbone from where she had been hit earlier today peaking out from under her t-shirt.

 

She barely heard herself speak, “I don’t want to be the reason you’re getting hurt all the time.”

 

Brigitte inhaled sharply underneath her, and suddenly the room felt too empty, too echoey, and too quiet. A hand came up to rest in the small of her back, and more stinging,  _stupid_ tears began to bubble up from her chest as she buried herself into Brigitte’s shoulder.

 

“I, I didn’t… think,” She heard Brigitte sniffle, and she tried again. “No, I-I’m sorry, Hana. I…” The hand on her back pulled Hana further into her embrace gently. “I just wanted you to be safe.”

 

Hana weakly lifted her head to stare down into Brigitte’s own watery eyes. With a mirthless laugh, she pressed a hesitant kiss to the corner of her mouth, and pulled back in time to see a rosy hue overtake those freckled cheeks. 

 

“Guess that makes two of us, then."

 

**Author's Note:**

> hey all! this is a different change of pace from my normal stuff, something short and sweet and not mchanzo, but i've been meaning to write something for this ship as well, but haven't gotten around to it!
> 
> i originally posted this to tumblr as one of the prompts i've been doing as of late, but i really wanted to post this prompt here too so here we are!! 
> 
> as usual, you can find me over [here](http://aerihead.tumblr.com/) on my tumblr :D


End file.
